caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] announcer: today, president biden and members of his cabinet met at the white house with the south korean president. the two leaders talked about leadership in response to the covid-19 pandemic and securing the korean peninsula. president biden thanked president moon for attending the medal of honor ceremony earlier in the day for his service during the korean war.

pres. biden: the united states and the republic of korea are allies with a long history of shared sacrifice. and on a personal note, i want to thank the president for being with me today as i had the great honor of presenting the medal of honor to arrange her in his mid-90's who showed incredible acts of valor and bravery during the korean war. the president was kind enough to come and spend the entire time there and personally congratulate our honoree. i also want to point out here's our shared sacrifice and our cooperation is vital to maintaining peace and stability in a critical region of the world.

president moon and i and our teams have had good meetings addressing our shared agenda. we had a private meeting in which my staff kept coming out and saying you are over time, you are over time. but i enjoyed the meeting so much it caused us to move everything back. but i look forward to continuing our discussion today here and growing the u.s.-rok relationship further as we take on new challenges and we take them on together. mr. president, the floor is yours. >> [speaking foreign language]

[speaking foreign language]

>> [speaking foreign language] translator: i would like to express deep attitude to president biden and the american people for extending their warm hospitality to me and my delegation and my congratulations on how the u.s. is becoming an example for the world as it succeeds in overcoming covid-19, achieving economic recovery and uniting the nation under president biden's leadership. >> [speaking foreign language]

translator: korea and the u.s. are strong allies forged more than 70 years ago. america is our everlasting friend who helped us and lead us in our time of need and i am pleased to visit the u.s. as my first trip destination since the start of covid-19 and to meet president biden and his new team. >> [speaking foreign language]

translator: even in the midst of the covid-19 crisis, our two countries left the door open to each other, helped with the fight against the virus and we kept our people. and we are seeing increasing cases of successful cooperation between our two countries assisting in an industry that will shape the post-covid-19 era, such as semi conductors, batteries, and communication. it will be a breakthrough in economic recovery for not only the two countries, but the entire world. pres. moon: [speaking korean]

translator: in previous meetings with president biden, we reaffirmed our commitments to strengthening alliance and bringing peace on the korean peninsula. i believe our peoples will be delighted to hear this just shy of the anniversary of our diplomatic relations. korea will closely work with the u.s. to achieve complete denuclearization and establish permanent peace on the korean peninsula. pres. moon: [speaking korean] translator: the world is welcoming america's return. they are keeping their hopes five for american leadership more than ever before. president biden also underscored the importance of building back

better and expressed his willingness to solve problems with the power of example. pres. moon: [speaking korean] translator: although tricky challenges lie ahead of us, our as allies who share core values, our two countries will actively work together to address global challenges such as covid-19, economic recovery, and climate change and we will usher in a new era. pres. moon: [speaking korean] translator: following our meeting today, i look forward to welcoming president biden again in the republic of korea and in the not-too-distant future. thank you very much. >> [indiscernible] >> [indiscernible]

pres. biden: i will have time to answer questions later. thank you. [cameras clicking] announcer: at the white house today, president biden awarded the medal of honor to retired army ranger colonel ralph puckett for his service during the korean war. south korean president moon attended the ceremony and spoke about service. the 94-year-old the first to receive a medal of honor from president biden. we will show you the full event later, but here is a short portion. pres. biden: so now, it is my great honor to ask for the citation to be read and award the honor.

>> the president of the united states of america, authorized by an act of congress, has awarded in the name of congress the medal of honor, united states army, for gallantry and risk of his life above the call of duty. he distinguished himself by accident gallantry above and beyond the call of duty while serving as commander during 25 november, 1950 through 26 november, 1950 in korea. as his unit commenced an attack on hill 205, he directed mortar, machine-gun, and small arms fire. he mounted a tank, exposing

himself to deadly enemy fire. leaping from the tank, he shouted words of encouragement. almost immediately, enemy fire threatened the success by pinning down one platoon. leaving the safety of his position, he intentionally ran across an open area three times to draw enemy fire, thereby allowing the rangers to locate and destroy the enemy position. during the night, the enemy launched a counterattack that lasted four hours. the rangers were inspired and motivated by the extraordinary readership and courageous example. as a result, five human wave attacks by an enemy element were repulsed. during the first attack, he was wounded by grenade fragment, but refused evacuation and continued to direct artillery support.

he repeatedly abandon positions of safety to make his way from foxhole to foxhole check the perimeter and distribute ammunition amongst the rangers. when the enemy launched the sixth attack, it became clear that the position was untenable do to the unavailability of artillery fire. two enemy mortar rounds landed in his foxhole, inflicting wounds that limited his mobility. he commanded the raters to evacuate. feeling duty, the rangers refused the order and staged an effort to retrieve him, while still under fire. ultimately, the rangers retrieved him and moved to the bottom of the hill. he call for devastating artillery fire on top of the

hill. his extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty i'm keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the united states army. [applause]

announcer: this picture from the washington post after the ceremony. it is believed to be the first time a foreign leader has attended a medal of honor ceremony. the white house press secretary said they are lowering the price of the infrastructure plan to seek common ground with republicans. she also answered questions on u.s.-israel relations, the president's role in the cease-fire, and the coronavirus response.